WE ARE TWIN SISTERS who are IDENTICAL in some areas and SO DIFFERENT in others. we enjoy blogging about being mommies and about the things we love: music, books, art, design, crafts...

Monday, January 04, 2010

"when i get older i will be stronger"

so it's only a few days into the new year, and i've been thinking a lot about motivation. it seems like whenever i set any new goal, i usually do really well with it for the first few days, and then something happens to throw me off track. i get sick or one of my kids does, i wake up late or forget, you know, LIFE happens. in spite of my best intentions i can't plan for every circumstance, and i get thrown. my carefully-crafted schedule seems useless, my goals seem too hard, and i think, "why am i doing this?" or "i'll do it some other time," or the worst one of all, "i can't do this."

i don't know about you but this is something that ALWAYS comes up with me. it's not a possibility, it's just an eventuality. and i've been trying to plan for it this time. none too soon either, because this morning i got thrown a little kink in my day. (and the smallest thing can really get to me.) i started to feel like some of the things i had planned for today could wait for another day. and i was frustrated.

then i thought to myself, "this time is going to be different," and i called my mom, my greatest cheerleader, and she said, "you can do it! just keep at it!" and i read my favorite quote (now my motto) to her:

My dear brothers and sisters, don’t get discouraged if you stumble at times. Don’t feel downcast or despair if you don’t feel worthy to be a disciple of Christ at all times. The first step to walking in righteousness is simply to try. We must try to believe. Try to learn of God: read the scriptures; study the words of His latter-day prophets; choose to listen to the Father, and do the things He asks of us. Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible—and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you. -President Uchtdorf, from last general conference.

then i put on this song, turned it way up, and got to work.

p.s. what do you do to get or keep yourself motivated when you feel completely defeated and you just want to give up?

If I have those days where things just don't go as planned, I just think "tomorrow is another day". Like, even if I didn't get done today what I thought I should have, I have a fresh start tomorrow, and just plan it. And like that quote says, we just keep trying and trying, and eventually the things we want to accomplish will get done, or the things we want to become habits will. And if it didn't happen today, just re-set your mind to know that you'll give it your best tomorrow.